Makkelie Overturns Arsenal Penalty After 13 Replays — Where To Watch Champions League
where to watch champions league led into the kind of ending that decided a Champions League semi-final first leg on Wednesday night, when Danny Makkelie overturned Arsenal’s 78th-minute penalty after a VAR review against Atletico Madrid. The call came after Eberechi Eze went down under David Hancko’s challenge and changed the final stages of a match Arsenal had led and then watched level out.
Makkelie And The Monitor
Makkelie awarded the penalty first, then went to the side of the pitch after VAR official Dennis Higler told him to review it. He watched 13 replays from two different camera angles before canceling the spot kick three minutes and 20 seconds after originally giving it.
Eze had appeared to win the ball before Hancko’s right foot made contact with Eze’s right boot. That sequence became the focus of the review, and Hancko was booked for dissent after protesting the original award.
Arteta And Simeone
Mikel Arteta left the match deeply unhappy. After the game on TNT Sports, he said, “I’m extremely disappointed and annoyed,” a reaction that matched Arsenal’s frustration after the late reversal.
Diego Simeone made himself part of the scene from the touchline, repeating the VAR gesture and moving out of his technical area to within five or six metres of Makkelie while the referee reviewed the incident. After the penalty was overturned, Simeone called for Eze to be booked for simulation.
Arsenal's Lead Slips
The penalty drama landed in a match that had already swung once. Viktor Gyokeres had put Arsenal ahead from the spot late in the first half, and Atletico pulled level just before the hour mark before the late controversy arrived.
That left the first leg settled by fine margins rather than open play. Arsenal still walked away with a draw, but the evening ended with the overturned decision, Arteta’s anger, and another layer of pressure on a tie that was already tight before the 78th minute.
